Ask A Vet: Those Pesky Bugs
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Dear Dr. Weldy’s,
I'm already noticing more flies, mosquitoes, and ticks around my barn this year. I do the best I
can to keep them down and I know they can cause disease, but how important is it to protect my
animals and do you have any tips?
-Bugged
Dear Bugged,
Insects are not only a huge nuisance; they can carry some very serious illnesses and transmit
them to your horses and cattle. For example, flies are directly responsible for spreading pink eye
among cows. Mosquitoes transmit West Nile Virus, which can be fatal in horses as well as Equine
Infectious Anemia, (which is tested for by the Coggins test.) Other diseases can be transmitted
by ticks, including Equine Piroplasmosis. There are vaccines available for Pink Eye and West
Nile, as well as several other insect-borne diseases, and this is certainly a recommended and
effective preventative measure. However, there are other diseases with no vaccines currently
available and insects cause other problems besides spreading disease.
Horses are prone to insect hypersensitivity such as “sweet itch” as well as “fly strike” in the
ears and some horses just absolutely cannot stand those pesky horseflies! There are fortunately
a wide variety of products available to keep the bugs off your horse. Fly masks, especially for
horses prone to conjunctivitis, fly sprays, and even fly sheets are all great options to help protect
your horse. There are plenty of products to choose from and ultimately, it boils down to personal
preference and what seems to work best for your horse on your farm. Things to consider are how
often you will be able to apply a spray or ointment and how well your horse will tolerate a sheet or
mask. There are products designed to decrease fly numbers on your farm as well. Keep in mind
that you cannot prevent insects on surrounding properties from finding their way to your barn and
will still need to protect your animals. Most products intended to repel flies will repel ticks as well
if applied frequently enough but if you are noticing large numbers of ticks, talk to your vet about
ways to prevent them.
Cattle can be pestered by flies and mosquitoes as well and there are options for helping to
protect them too. There are ear tags which contain repellents that help keep bugs away from the
face of the cattle and bags which can be hung where the cows can voluntarily “dust” themselves
with repellents as well. Cows that spend less time trying to avoid insects will spend more time
eating and producing! Simple clean-up procedures to clear manure and decrease stagnant water
pools will also help decrease insect numbers around the farm.
So enjoy the warmer weather but remember to take extra steps to help your animals avoid
being pestered or worse, getting sick, from those pesky bugs!
-Dr. Kathryn Ernst